Tuesday, May 31, 2005

You can join the audience of Justice Talking an NPR show in which Lynne Stewart will be debating "town hall style" Joseph Aronica an attorney and former federal prosecutor on Tuesday, June 7th at 7:30 p.m. in Philadelphia, PA - click below for details and to sign up:Justice Talking http://www.justicetalking.org/joinaudience.asp

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BAUAW MEETING SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 11:30 A.M.474 VALENCIA STREET (BETWEEN 15TH & 16TH STREETS, S.F.)(415) 824-8730We will have a short meeting until 12:30 p.m., then go to 16th & Mission to pick up petitions and head outto locations around the city. We should be sure to senda group of petitioners (and supporters!) to the following:Sat,June 4th, Rally at City Hall, 11 a.m., for Environmental Justice Sun, June 5th, 'Everyone Loves a Parade!' 12 Noon at City Hall. At our meeting this Saturday we will schedule a lengthier meeting where we can discuss, more thoroughly, the important issues facing the antiwar movement today.

Tarsha Moore stands as tall as her 4-foot 8-inch frame will allow. Staring straight ahead, she yells out an order to a squad of peers lined up in three perfect columns next to her. Having been in the military program for six years, Tarsha has earned the rank of captain and is in charge of the 28 boys and girls in her squad. This is Lavizzo Elementary School. Tarsha is 14.

The Middle School Cadet Corps (MSCC) program at the K-8 school is part of a growing trend to militarize middle schools. Students at Lavizzo are among the more than 850 Chicago students who have enlisted in one of the city's 26 MSCC programs. At Madero Middle School, the MSCC has evolved into a full-time military academy for kids 11 to 14 years old.

Chicago public schools are home to the largest Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program, which oversees the MSCC, in the country. When moving up to high school, Chicago's graduating eighth-graders can choose from 45 JROTC programs, including three full-time Army military academies, five "school-within-a-school" Army JROTC academies and one JROTC Naval academy.

Proponents of the programs tout leadership training and character development. But critics quote former Defense Secretary Gen. William Cohen, who described JROTC as "one of the best recruiting services that we could have." Rick Mills, the director of Military Schools and JROTC for the Chicago Public School system, dismisses these concerns. "These kinds of programs would not be in schools if there weren't kids who wanted it, parents who supported it and administrators who facilitated it," he says.

The elementary school cadet corps is a voluntary after-school program that meets two or three times a week. Programs differ from school to school, but MSCC students generally learn first-aid, civics, "citizenship" and character development. They also learn military history and take field trips to local military bases. Once a week, students wear their uniforms to school for inspections. Tarsha describes buffing her uniform shoes in preparation for inspection days. "Everything has to be perfect," she says. During drill practices they learn how to stand, turn and salute in synchronization. When they disobey an order, they do pushups. "Only 10," says one administrator.

Joanne Young, a sixth-grade teacher at Goethe School in Chicago, recently wrote a letter to the local school council protesting the implementation of the cadet corps in her school. "I was told that it is not a military program, yet every aspect of it is military," she wrote. "This program is training our students, as young as 11-years old, to march in formation and carry guns. ... Students could be suspended for bringing something that appears to be a weapon to our school, yet we are handing them fake guns for this program." Young, like many other teachers, feels that leadership and discipline could easily be taught in other types of after-school programs.

Herman Barnett, director of Lavizzo's award-winning MSCC program, asks the public to give the students the benefit of the doubt. "They don't look at it as getting ready for the army," he says. "They're just doing it for entertainment and fun."

In 2002 the Bush administration passed the No Child Left Behind Act with a small, unpublicized provision: Section 9528, "Armed Forces Recruiter Access to Students and Student Recruiting Information," requires high schools to give all student contact information to the military. Most students aren't aware they can opt out by filling out a form.

Ranjit Bhagwat, an organizer for Chicago's Southwest Youth Collaborative, has worked with students at Kelly High School in Chicago to inform their classmates about the provision and how to opt out. The Kelly group, founded in January, has already convinced more than 10 percent of the school's population to sign the opt-out petition. Bhagwat says the group targeted military recruitment because the students felt the military's presence in their school was an issue that needed to be addressed. "They had a problem with the fact that there were a lot of lies the military told," he says.

The MSCC and JROTC programs are funded by the Defense Department, which has a $3 billion annual recruitment budget. Recruitment officers roam high schools promoting the image of a secure military career and enticing students with promises of money for college.

The "lies" mentioned by Bhagwat include the reality that, on average, two-thirds of recruits never receive college funding and only 15 percent graduate with a four-year degree. As for a "secure" career, the unemployment rate for veterans is three times higher than non-veterans.

Opponents of the JROTC program also cite ethnic profiling, arguing that the military targets students from minority and low-income areas. The Chicago Public School system is 49.8 percent African American and 38 percent Latino. Students coming from low-income families make up 85.2 percent of Chicago's student population. JROTC director Mills is correct when he says the racial and socioeconomic status of those in Chicago's JROTC program reflects the school system as a whole, but only five schools in all of the more affluent Chicago suburbs have JROTC programs.

Military recruiters are known for their flashy tactics: television ads, omnipresent brochures, recruiting ships, trucks and vans, and even a free Army video game kids can download off the Internet. Yet, the Army hasn't met its recruitment goals in three months. The Marines haven't met their quotas since January. Suspicious recruitment tactics are in the headlines and Army recruiters took off May 20 to retrain in the ethics and laws of recruitment.

Meanwhile, Mills insists the military does not look to JROTC groups for students to boost its numbers. "I get absolutely no pressure from any of the services," he says. "None."

Only 18 percent of graduating JROTC seniors are considering joining the service, says Mills. He does not have statistics on how many of the 71 percent that go on to post-secondary school stay with the ROTC program. Lavizzo's Barnett also says that not all of his middle school students move on to JROTC programs in high school. Tarsha, however, has already signed up. While she wants to be a lawyer and is not planning on joining the armed forces when she graduates, the 14-year-old says, "If I were to join the military, I would be ready for it."

Since the Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) added its views to the discussion about uniting the antiwar movement prompted by a unity call circulated by USLAW, September 24 has been set as the date for an antiwar march on Washington. We believe that September 24 should be embraced by all as a critical opportunity to revive a determined and popular struggle to shut this war down. The road to that end is not paved yet. The ANSWER coalition and then UPFJ have both called for marches on Washington DC on Saturday Sept. 24. ANSWER has asked for a united event on this date with UFPJ. In a letter announcing it's Sept. 24 plans, UPFJ says it will not have a united event on this date with either the Troops Out Now Coalition or ANSWER, citing as their reasons the anti-imperialist politics of TONC and ANSWER, and past difficulties working with these coalitions.

At its meeting on May 26, TONC decided to also issue a call for a full mobilization to Washington DC on Sept. 24. We do not envision 3 separate events in Washington DC on Sept. 24. We propose that the 3 coalitions and other forces come together to plan a strong united effort for Sept.24.

We appeal to UFPJ to reverse their rejection of a united mobilization with ANSWER and TONC and others on Sept 24. We believe that all should put aside anything that will create obstacles to realizing the potential of Sept. 24.

We propose that the unifying demand for Sept 24 should be the complete, unconditional and immediate withdrawal of all U.S. occupation troops from Iraq. Beyond that, we propose that each coalition raise the additional demands, and political views that they choose to. We intend to demand money for jobs, healthcare, education and housing, not war, and at the very same time call for an end to Washington and Wall St.'s war against Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Afghanistan, Haiti, the Philippines, Zimbabwe, and other countries that are on imperialism's hit list.

We have not found our anti-imperialist positions to be a hindrance. To the contrary, we have found them to be essential to relating to people in this country as well as people all over the world.

TONC also takes the Millions More Movement's march on Wash. DC on October 15 very seriously and we are already beginning to strategize as to how we can best unite the struggle against the war with that effort. We don't want the two dates, October 15, and Sept. 24, just three weeks apart, to compete with each other. Central to TONC's strategy will be to utilize Sept. 24 to build the Millions More Movement events in mid Oct.

As we said in our unity call, unity does not mean uniformity. Our challenge as a movement is to think big and act big so that we can really help to set back the Empire's designs on the rest of the Middle East, and the world.

Bush has already lost the war abroad. It's up to us to make sure that he loses it at home. If our movement can seriously dedicate itself to this goal, we will be helping all of the peoples of the world who are struggling against the empire.

All are welcome to participate in TONC's Strategy Meeting on Saturday June 11 at the New School For Social Research, 55 West 13 street, from 11:AM to 5:PM in New York City, where we will be devoting a session of the meeting to a continuation of the unity discussion.

The Troops Out Now Coalition

Endorse the CALL for UNITY online

Unity Call to the Anti-War Movement from the Troops Out Now Coalition

The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) wholeheartedly and unreservedly joins the activists and groups who are calling for a united mobilization against the war in the fall. The absence of such unity amongst the anti-war coalitions only serves to demoralize rank and file anti-war activists and local forces across the country. The grassroots of the movement are looking to those of us who make decisions to put our differences aside in the interests of the struggle to get the U.S. the hell out of Iraq.

Achieving unity isn't easy but the power of unity is the thing that will give everyone the confidence to do what needs to be done. Moreover, the people of Iraq and throughout the Middle East need the movement in this country to unite. The whole world is looking to us to do it. TONC welcomes the sentiments of all who have signed on to the unity statement that is being circulated by USLAW. TONC would add to that call that the movement needs to reach out in a more serious way not only to trade unionists that are active in the anti-war movement, but also to working people and people of color. In the Million Worker March Movement you have trade unionists that are people of color at the helm.

These trade unionists are leading the way in helping to bring the workers movement and the anti-war movement together. Let us make sure that our appeal extends to them as well as others including immigrants who are all too often under-represented.

An important part of forging any meaningful unity will, of necessity, require that the anti-war movement both acknowledges and unites with the struggle of people of color and the events that carry their message. The call for a "Millions More March" on the tenth anniversary of the "Million Man March" has gone out far and wide. The Millions More March will extend over 3 days next fall, October 14, 15 and 16, including a massive march on Washington DC. It goes without saying that many of us will be pre-occupied with this important mobilization. This is something that needs to be respected.

TONC believes that the time has come for all of us to unite around the demand to bring the troops home immediately. This in no way means that other demands should not be put forth.

We absolutely must talk about the war budget and how it's robbing workers and poor people.

We must talk about the prospect of the draft being revived. We must find ways of reaching out to resisters inside the military.

Moreover, we don't believe that uniting must mean censoring, silencing or excluding the positions of those who are participating in that unity.

The antiwar movement must not turn its back on the Palestinian people and their struggle. In addition, the position that the Iraqi people have a right to resis t occupation by whatever means they choose cannot be censored or excluded.

We don't think that it helps us to make no mention of the threats against Venezuela or Cuba or Iran or North Korea and simply pretend that these problems don't exist. We believe that the movement must address the ongoing occupation of Haiti and Afghanistan; the imperialist designs on Zimbabwe, the Philippines, Colombia and all the peoples of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Caribbean and Latin America. Others may have different priorities. The anti-war movement must ensure that all oppressed communities have an equal place at the table, where their issues and concerns are represented.

Unity does not mean uniformity--the main thing is for the basis of unity to be clear.

It's not necessary for us to ask of each other that we forget neither our differences nor the unpleasantness of past conflicts. All that is required is that we not let any of that get in the way of joining hands to grasp the opportunities that only unity makes possible.

There is a high road. On that road, questions are answered, problems are solved and the means and methods necessary to move forward are found.

Nothing is more important at this moment than for all to walk together on the high road to unity. We believe that what we all do will be decisive. We must and we can stop the war and get every U.S. soldier out of Iraq.

It is up to all of us to do whatever is necessary for our movement to rise to this challenge.

TONC is holding a regional meeting on Saturday, JUNE 11. A special session of this meeting will be devoted to continuing the discussion on unity and we will be extending invitations to groups to participate in that discussion.

You can help! Endorse this call. Pass it on to others.

Endorsers include: (The updated complete list of more than 600 endorsers is available online. )

We're writing to update you on a major change in our coalition's plans: the national steering committee of UFPJ has decided to shift the anti-war mobilization planned for September 10 in New York City to a September 24-26 mobilization in Washington, D.C. We are excited about the new plans and will soon be circulating our call to action. But first we want to make sure all of the UFPJ member groups understand the decision. Please take a moment to read this memo and then share it with others in your group.

At the UFPJ National Assembly in February, there was tremendous support for organizing a major anti-war demonstration this fall. More specifically, the Assembly agreed that UFPJ should organize a demonstration in New York City on September 10, which would be right before heads of state come to the United Nations for the Millennium+5 Review.

Soon after the Assembly, we learned that there were serious problems with that date. The Central Labor Council of NYC will be holding its annual Labor Day parade on September 10, a parade that usually includes upwards of 100,000 trade union members. It would be both impractical and politically unwise for us to call for some other major action that same day. In addition, a large international coalition of groups that work on global debt and poverty issues have targeted September 10 as a day they will be issuing a call for action. While we can see a clear connection between the hundreds of billions of dollars poured into the war in Iraq and the urgent need to re-order global economic priorities in order to eradicate hunger and poverty, we do not wish in any way to compete with those groups' desire to keep the public spotlight squarely on their issues that weekend.

The decision to change the date and location was not made lightly: these issues were discussed at several steering committee meetings as well as within the administrative committee. The UFPJ National Steering Committee took into account the range of other political priorities set by the National Assembly, and particularly the clearly stated desire for the peace and justice movement to increase the pressure on pro-war politicians in Congress.

Therefore, United for Peace and Justice has decided to organize a weekend of action - Sept. 24 - 26 - in Washington, DC against the U.S. war and occupation in Iraq:

Saturday, Sept. 24: massive march, rally, and festival Sunday, Sept. 25: interfaith religious service; trainings in direct action and grassroots lobbying Monday, Sept. 26: lobby day and mass nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience These three days of actions will send a clear message to the White House and to Congress: this immoral and illegal war must end. Our demands will call for a new direction: Bring the troops home now, leave no bases behind; stop bankrupting our communities with war appropriations, and get military recruiters out of our schools.

The steering committee's discussions about this started at its first in-person meeting over the April 9-10 weekend. In the six weeks since then there have been several steering committee and administrative committee conference calls. On the May 2nd steering committee conference call there was agreement to explore both the Sept. 17th and the Sept. 24th weekends, with the intention of trying to decide on a date as quickly as possible.

As our discussions took place other developments were unfolding, which we want to be sure our member groups are fully informed about. Several weeks ago US Labor Against War (USLAW), a member group of UFPJ with representation on our National Steering Committee, initiated a public process aimed at pulling together UFPJ, ANSWER and the Troops Out Now Coalition (led by the International Action Center) for a meeting to discuss the possibility of a joint demonstration this fall. In light of past problems working with these groups, the UFPJ National Steering Committee expressed serious reservations about such a joint action, but agreed to participate in such a discussion, should USLAW convene it. The UFPJ co-chairs and national coordinator had several conversations with USLAW leadership expressing concerns about their process and relaying the decisions of the steering committee, including our willingness to take part in such a meeting.

In the meantime, while our steering and administrative committees were engaged in discussions about the feasibility of organizing a September 17 or 24 action in D.C., ANSWER, on the morning of May 12, issued a public call for a national march on Washington on Saturday, September. 24. Their call to action has these major demands: Stop the War in Iraq; End Colonial Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti. Other demands in their call are: Support the Palestinian People's Right of Return; Stop the Threats Against Venezuela, Cuba, Iran & amp; North Korea; U.S. out of the Philippines; Bring all the Troops Home Now; Stop the Racist, Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Labor Offensive at Home, Defend Civil Rights.

In the evening of that same day the leadership of ANSWER sent an email to UFPJ that proposed what they called "a united front between our two coalitions" to jointly organize a Washington, DC demonstration on September 24. It should be noted that the ANSWER memo to UFPJ came well after their call to action had already been released. As has happened in the past, ANSWER publicly announced the political platform of the action and then called for "unity" around their demands. Members of the UFPJ steering committee were troubled about this process and there was further discussion about how to proceed. On May 16th, the Troops Out Now Coalition then issued their letter supporting the ANSWER call, adding their view that, "the Iraqi people have a right to resist occupation by whatever means they choose cannot be censored or excluded."

On the most recent conference call of the UFPJ steering committee (May 18), a decision was made to proceed with our plans as outlined above. This means that while we applaud all efforts and activities to end the war and occupation in Iraq, UFPJ will not join with ANSWER (or the Troops Out Now Coalition) in the planning and organizing of the September 24-26 mobilization in Washington, DC. We will organize a massive march, rally, and festival on September 24; ANSWER may well decide to have a separate event in Washington on that day. We want to be clear. Our call will be an open invitation to groups who want to end the war and bring our troops home now, and who agree with our demands, to join us in the streets. We welcome everyone, including ANSWER and the Troops Out Now Coalition, to organize contingents or feeder marches into our demonstration that day. Our steering committee agreed that should USLAW still decide to convene the meeting described a bove that UFPJ will participate, but only to discuss logistical concerns for that weekend.

This was not an easy decision. The UFPJ Steering Committee recognizes that there is widespread interest in seeing many antiwar forces working together. But based on our past two and a half years experience, it will not be possible to work with ANSWER or the Troops Out Now Coalition on a joint action this fall. We believe any efforts to work together must begin with developing common, jointly agreed upon political demands and be based upon a style of organizing grounded in mutual respect. We take very seriously the mandate of the UFPJ National Assembly to build the broadest, most diverse anti-war movement possible as a key strategy for bringing an end to this war. Our primary commitment is building this movement, including the fall mobilization, in a way that makes it possible for the largest and widest array of people to come together in opposition to the war, including military families, Iraq war veterans and other veterans, and the labor movement. This commitment has an impact on everything we do: from the nature of the program, to the articulation of our demands, to the ways we do our organizing.

UFPJ is also committed to building a movement culture based on trust, respect, principled action, democratic decision-making, and good-faith communication. Both the national coalition and a number of our regional remember groups have had extremely negative experiences on all these grounds throughout our history of working with ANSWER or the International Action Center. While professing to desire unity, ANSWER and the IAC have repeatedly misrepresented the positions of, attacked, and attempted to isolate and split UFPJ and other antiwar groups, even when we were supposedly in alliances. Now, they once again have announced a political platform and a date for a demonstration without any consultation with us, while on the other hand calling for unity.

Every day the war in Iraq rages on and people are killed and maimed, lives are ruined, and a once sovereign nation is under the military occupation and corporate control of the United States. We must stay focused on our priorities: building the strongest movement possible in order to end this war, bring our troops home and prevent future wars! We ask all UFPJ member groups to join in the effort to ensure the most successful September mobilization possible.

In the coming weeks you will be getting more information about the plans for the Sept. 24-26 weekend, including specific ways your group can get involved. But there is no need to delay: we encourage you to start convening local and/or regional meetings of UFPJ member groups and others to beginning your organizing for the fall mobilization. We look forward to working with you in the coming months.

Today (Wednesday, June 1), a diverse group of antiwar, civil rights, religious and community leaders held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC to announce plans for the September 24, 2005, Mass March in Washington DC announced on May 12 by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition.

See below for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Associated Press (AP) articles.

From AFP - Agence France-Presse

US anti-war group vows seaof demonstrators at White House

June 1, 2005

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US anti-war group vowed to surround the White House in a sea of demonstrators during coordinated protests scheduled to take place in Washington, as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco on September 24.

The ANSWER Coalition expects more than 100,000 people, from families of US soldiers to trade unions and diverse religious groups, to take part in the demonstrations against the war in Iraq.

This "will be the largest anti-war demonstrations to take place since the second election, or selection, of George W. Bush" in November, Brian Becker, ANSWER's national coordinator, said at a news conference.

"This will be representative of a changed mood inside the United States," Becker said. "At this point we believe the majority sentiment in the country not only disapproves to George Bush's handling of the White House but has turned decisively against the war in Iraq."

"We will, on September 24, surround the White House with a sea of anti-war demonstrators," he said.

"And this will be a graphic demonstration ... that the White House is surrounded by opposition all around the country and this opposition grows day in and day out."

The demonstrations will also demand an end to US "threats" against North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba and an to the "colonial-style occupation in Palestine and in Haiti," the group said.

From the Associated Press

Anti-War Coalition Planning Major Protests

June 1, 2005

By Siobhan McDonough, Associated Press Writer

Anti-war activists upset by the continuing violence in Iraq are planning demonstrations in Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco this fall to urge the administration to bring U.S. troops home.

Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) has seen turnout in its demonstrations wane as the war has dragged on. The group hopes a long lead-up to the Sept. 24 protests will generate more interest.

Brian Becker is national coordinator of the Washington-based coalition, which has more than 500 anti-war groups as members. He said the public is growing weary of the war.

"It seems as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Becker pointed to opinion polls showing growing dissatisfaction with the war and with President Bush. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll released last month had Bush's job approval at 47 percent, with support on areas such as his handling of Iraq, the economy and assorted domestic issues in the low 40s.

The Bush administration has not set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops, although Vice President Dick Cheney predicted last weekend that fighting in Iraq will end before the Bush administration leaves office in 2009.

Becker wants the troops home much sooner, even at the risk of further destabilizing the Iraqi government.

"I think the Iraqi government will collapse anyway," he said. "Any Iraqi political entity has to be able to stand on its own to have any legitimacy in Iraq."

ANSWER is reaching out to churches, mosques, youth and student organizations and others, providing them with logistical information on the demonstrations. It will hold teach-ins this summer that aim to bring together organizers, religious and academic leaders, and elected officials to discuss U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

DVDs of thepress conferenceare available!

This approximately 75 minute video can serve as an exciting tool to build for the demonstration, including opening statements by each speaker, a question and answer period, and several one-on-one interviews.

Order the DVD today to show at an organizing meeting, in a classroom, at a house party, or on public access television. To place your order, email info@internationalanswer.org with "Sept. 24 DVD" as your subject line. Please include your name, address, phone number and the number of DVDs you would like in the message. You can also place your order by calling 202-544-3389.

DVDs are free, though a donation is requested to cover the cost of the reproduction and mailing.

For details on the September 24 Mass March in Washington DC, and coordinated actions in San Francisco and Los Angeles – including the Call to Action, the demands of the demonstration, an endorsers list and endorsement form, a form to list transportation plans from around the country, downloadable flyers and more >>> click here!

60 Years After Creation of the Atomic Bomb, Hard Answers are Easy to FindNew Web Partnership Brings Nuclear Information to Citizens, Educators

July 2005 marks the 60th anniversary of the dawn of the Atomic Age. For six decades, nuclear weapons have figured prominently in the plans and fears of nations and individuals alike. Recent events have brought concern over nuclear issues back to a level not seen since the end of the Cold War.

For people looking to form an educated opinion and to gauge a better understanding of the complexity of nuclear issues and the actions of their government, information can be hard to come by and, when found, even harder to understand.

How is a nuclear weapon made? What are the international policies about nuclear arms currently in place? How does nuclear power factor into the discussion? What can be done with nuclear byproducts? How did all of this begin? Is nuclear terrorism a real threat? Why are North Korea and Iran pursuing nuclear programs? The answers to these questions, and literally thousands of others, are answered through the newly created online collaboration, Nuclear Pathways, http://nuclearpathways.org.

Launched as a nuclear information clearing house, Nuclear Pathways currently integrates four sites, each with its own specialization and mission. The content of each site complements that of the others, providing access to comprehensive, and comprehensible information covering issues from the scientific to the philosophical, from the political to the historical to the ethical, and myriad other topics in between.

The project is a component of the National Science Digital Library (http://nsdl.org), funded by the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation, and includes the following affiliated websites:Alsos.wlu.eduThe Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues is an annotated, searchable bibliography for the study of nuclear issues. The collection includes annotations of over 1,600 books, articles, films, CD-ROMs, and websites, all of which have been reviewed by members of the library's prestigious National Advisory Board. It is the site’s mission to make the history and current status of nuclear issues more accessible and comprehensible to the general public as well as to students and educators in the many fields influenced by the forces of the nuclear age. Based at Washington and Lee University, the site provides specific bibliographies for the other three Nuclear Pathways sites.

AtomicArchive.comA companion to the award-winning CD-ROM, Atomic Archive: Enhanced Edition, this site explores the science, history and consequences of the atomic age. The site describes how nuclear weapons work, the science behind them and the effects of their use. The history section chronicles the important discoveries and decisions leading up to the development of the first atomic bomb, up through recent events in today's post Cold War era. The site allows users to enrich their understanding of the people and events of the nuclear age by perusing an archive of compelling materials including photos, film clips, and primary source documents—some recently declassified—and a comprehensive timeline that marks milestones in nuclear history. The website has been acknowledged by National Science Teachers Association and Scientific America as one of the top science and historical education websites.

ChemCases.com

ChemCases.com, based at Kennesaw State University and supported by the National Science Foundation, is a collection of 13 case studies linking decision making and policy with basic chemical sciences. The site’s nuclear chemistry unit, prepared by Prof. Frank Settle of Washington and Lee University, provides the fundamental physical and chemical basis for applying, analyzing and evaluating today's issues of nuclear power, waste and weapons. ChemCases.com has been cited by AAAS (through SCIENCE) and by Scientific American as one of the top science education sites on the web. Visitors have opened more than 3 million ChemCases.com pages since 2001.

NuclearFiles.org

From nuclear proliferation to nuclear testing, Nuclear Files provides access to primary source documents, historical and background information and analysis, data and graphs on everything from Hiroshima to North Korea. The site also offers biographies of key individuals, as well as a media gallery with photos, video and audio clips. The site connects educators from various disciplines, offering a resource section with study guides and sample syllabi for various courses. Nuclear Files also features a timeline of the history of the Nuclear Age, as well as the latest developments in nuclear issues. Nuclear Files.org is a project of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan international organization with consultative status to the United Nations.

The Nuclear Pathways sites bring together every aspect of one of the most crucial issues of our time to the people who need the information the most – ordinary citizens, educators and students.

For more information visit http://nuclearpathways.org or contact Jane Stewart in the news office at Washington and Lee University: 540-458-8235; jcstewart@wlu.edu.

###

Carah Ong

Advocacy and Research Director

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation DC Office

322 Fourth Street NE

Washington, DC 20002

Tel: (202) 543-4100 ext. 105

Cell: (202) 378-3334

Fax: (202) 546-5142

www.wagingpeace.org

www.nuclearfiles.org

* To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ufpj-disarm/

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*Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Gospel Choir in No. California June 1-6*http://www.revbilly.com/

Antiwar.com always has an epigram on its home page. Today's is from Simone Weil:

Quotable The great error of nearly all studies of war... has been to consider war as an episode in foreign policies, when it is an act of interior politics... ---- Simone Weil

This surprising and profound statement is as true of the war in Iraq and the war on terror as it has been true of other wars in the past, if not more so. It is also an aspect of the war that has been woefully neglected--that is, that the war in Iraq is part of the class war by the American elite against American working people and is waged primarily as a means of social control of American workers, providing the opportunity for transforming American society into a military and police state through such measures as the Patriot Act, airport searches, the suspension of habeas corpus at Guantanamo and in the case of Jose Padilla and more than 1,000 persons detained in the US after 9/11 without charges or due process, and for the unprecedented attack on pensions and retirement and other aspects of working people's livelihoods. The ruling class could never get away with these things in the absence of a war, which had to be created for the purpose.

War has long been the ultimate social control. Aristotle wrote 2400 years ago, "The tyrant wages war to deprive his subjects of leisure and to create the need for a strong leader." Steve Lopez wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "There's a dirty secret [behind this war] no one has told you, and here it is: This war is not about changing Iraq, it's about changing America....The whole idea is to train you to expect less and to feel patriotic about it."

We can only build an effective movement against the war if we challenge it as part of the class war on working people here and around the world. The only force strong enough to end the warmaking regime of global capitalism is the international solidarity of workers of all countries--American and Iraqi, German and French and Chinese, Palestinian and Israeli--bound together in a revolutionary movement determined to transform the world in the opposite direction from the course on which we are headed: from inequality to equality, from competition to solidarity, from capitalist dictatorship to real democracy, from permanent war to lasting peace.

Opposition to U.S. Makes Chávez a Hero to Many By JUAN FOREROJune 1, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/01/international/americas/01letter.html?ex=1118376000&en=b3ce1db053855fa4&ei=5070&emc=eta1

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H.R. 1528 - the Spy On Your Family For The War On Drugs Bill2005-Jun-02From our friend Guy HerronFolks,It's time we started calling this crap what it is. Representative Sensenbrenner (see article below) has come up with yet another ironically named attack on our freedoms the "Defending America's Most Vulnerable: Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act of 2005" (H.R. 1528) This act would require you to report any of the following examples to the police or face a two year jail sentence.

_ You see someone you know pass a joint to a 20-year old college student.

_ Your cousin mentions that he bought Ecstasy for some of his college friends.

_ You find out that your brother, who has kids, recently bought a small amount of marijuana to share with his wife.

_ Your substance-abusing daughter recently begged her boyfriend to find her some drugs even though they're both in drug treatment.

_ You can also be forced to go under cover in order to trap your friends or relations into giving the police enough evidence to prosecute them -- do it or go to jail yourself.

We have just finished observing Memorial Day in which we honor the soldiers who gave their lives defending this countries' freedoms. The kind of law that Sensenbrenner is proposing would be perfectly fitting in Hitler's Nazi Germany. How many people died in order to prevent Hitler from imposing this kind of government on the rest of the world? Sensenbrenner's H. R. 1528 is Fascism, so let us call it what it is. We show a fine sense of gratitude to our heroic dead when we sheepishly allow miscreants like Sensenbrenner impose the Fascism that they fought against on us.

Memorial Day is a good time to assess our country and our citizenship in it. I think, though, that a second opinion would be useful. Let us use our imaginations to call up the ghosts of our countries dead defenders and ask them what they think. Perhaps we can ask the spirit of one of the corpses bobbing in the surf of Normandy beach on D-day what he thinks of Sensenbrenner and his legislation. What do you think he'd say? And perhaps we can call up the ghost of an Eighth Air Force air crewman, who, too badly wounded to bail out of his B-17, rode it down to it's fiery death on the soil of Germany, as many hundreds of them did. What would he think of the USA Patriot Act which undermines American freedom in a way that would have made Hitler proud? What would he think of the people that wrote it? Or the people that voted for it?

And finally, can we face these imaginary dead and justify our citizenship to them? Are we letting freedoms' enemies within do to us what freedoms' enemies without could not? I think we are, I think that America is failing on our watch and if it goes down it will be our fault. What do you think? What would freedom's fallen defenders think?

Guy HerronMurray, Utah USA

cc Representative Jim Matheson, Just about every activist I know.

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You've Been Drafted: Uncle Sam Wants You for the War on DrugsWednesday, May 18, 2005http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/051805sensen.cfm

"I want to thank the over 4,400 people who have sent emails to their Representatives opposing Congressman Sensenbrenner's draconian mandatory minimum sentencing bill. This bill is now garnering national attention.

This bill would have serious consequences for our democracy, requiring you to spy on all your neighbors, including going undercover and wearing a wire if needed. Refusing to become a spy for the government would be punishable by a mandatory prison sentence of at least two years.

We need your help to fight this bill, including your ideas.

We alerted you last week to the bill, entitled "Defending America's Most Vulnerable: Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act of 2005" (H.R. 1528). Thousands of you have faxed Congress in opposition to the bill and we've already raised $2,000 online to fight it. Thank you!

We already told you about many of the terrible provisions in this legislation, but we are especially concerned about a section of the bill that turns every American into an agent of the state. Here's how it works:

If you "witness" certain drug offenses taking place or "learn" that they took place you would have to report the offense to law enforcement within 24 hours and provide "full assistance" in the investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of the people involved. Failure to do so would be a crime punishable by a mandatory two year prison sentence.

Here are some examples of offenses you would have to report to the police within 24 hours:

_ You see someone you know pass a joint to a 20-year old college student.

_ Your cousin mentions that he bought Ecstasy for some of his college friends.

_ You find out that your brother, who has kids, recently bought a small amount of marijuana to share with his wife.

_ Your substance-abusing daughter recently begged her boyfriend to find her some drugs even though they're both in drug treatment.

In each of these cases you face jail time if you don't call the police within 24 hours. It doesn't matter if the offender is your friend or relative. It also doesn't matter if you need 48 hours to think about it. You have to report the person to the government within 24 hours or go to jail. You also have to assist the government in every way, including wearing a wire if needed. Refusing to cooperate would cost you at least two years in prison (possibly up to ten). In addition to turning family member against family member, the legislation could also put many Americans into dangerous situations by forcing them to go undercover to gain evidence against strangers.

This is what we're up against in Congress and, as I told you last week, it's not going to be easy. Sensenbrenner, the chair of the powerful Judiciary Committee, usually gets what he wants. Lots of people are afraid to challenge him. But we have a duty to our children to stop our country from turning into a police state. I'm sure you feel this duty, as well."

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Bush, Cheney Attack Amnesty International by Jim Lobe Published on Wednesday, June 1, 2005 by the Inter Press Service http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0601-01.htm

US puppet government announces state of siege in Baghdad By Barry Grey 27 May 2005http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/may2005/iraq-m27.shtml

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COLLEGE NOT COMBAT (CNC) PETITION DRIVE REPORT:

Firstly, thanks to all those who came out to the Saturday launch of the signature drive for the College Not Combat initiative. Your participation was crucial to making this a successful event. The kick-off rally was attended by 100+ people, and included inspiring speakers from various anti-war groups, trade unions, military families and local politicians. We also received a fair amount of positive media coverage from local stations.

After the initial rally, about 80 people from a hand-full of organizations fanned out to various locations throughout the city to gather signatures. We were met with a lot of enthusiasm from people on the street, and were able to gather 3,000 signatures in one afternoon. We also had a number of people sign-up to volunteer for the campaign. It's clear from our experience on Saturday that the people of San Francisco do not want the military recruiting in our schools, and want more money spent on education, not war.

However, in order to make our goal of 15,000 signatures by July 11th, we will need the help of many more organizations and volunteers. We have gotten an overwhelmingly positive response from people supporting the initiative. Now we have to turn that into real bodies on the streets.

Our next big push will be Saturday, June 4th. We will meet at the 16th street BART station & then go out and gather signatures for a couple of hours. Then we will have a brief assessment meeting at 4pm at Haymarket Books (110 Capp St. @ 16th) to plan our next steps.

It is very important that all endorsing organizations send at least a person or two (more would be great!) for the signature gathering AND for the assessment meeting. Your participation is crucial to ensuring that we reach our goals, and continue to build a democratic, vibrant anti-war movement.

In solidarity, Ragina Johnson College Not CombatAmerica's Recruiting Dilemma By Robert NovakMay 26, 2005 http://realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-5_26_05_RN.html

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PLEASE POST WIDELY

Stand in Solidarity with the people of Palestine – Sunday, June 5th

Protest Racism - Stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY JUNE 5TH, 12 NOONLocal Zionists are celebrating „Israeli Independence Day‰ in San Francisco at Yerba Buena Gardens. But Israel‚s independence has meant the destruction of the Palestinian people and their society. Over 800,000 Palestinians were forcibly dispossessed to create „the Jewish state‰ in 1948, and they and their descendants (who number more than 5 million people today) remain in exile in refugee camps, despite countless UN Resolutions demanding their return.

We say NO to celebrating ethnic cleansingWe say NO to celebrating occupationWe say NO to celebrating Israel apartheid

We say YES to a Free PalestineWe say YES to Self-determinationWe say YES to the Right of Return of Palestinian refugeesWe say YES to boycotting Israeli goodsWe say YES to stopping all aid to Israel

This is not a day to celebrate but a day to protest and raise our voices with our allies in struggle for a Free Palestine.

Meet in front of Office Depot on 3rd Street, between Market and Mission

for more information info@justiceinpalestine.net

Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bayareapalestine/

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Hands Off Venezuela!Come to the next meeting of the San Francisco Bay Area Hands Off Venezuela!7:00 PM, Thursday, June 9, at Centro delPueblo in the auditorium, 474 Valencia St. SF. CallAdam Richmond at 415 864 3537 for more info or toarrange a speaker to talk about the inspiring eventsin Venezuela and the need to protect it from USattack.

Two years ago, the United States government organizedan unsuccessful military coup against thedemocratically elected government of Venezuela, headedby President Hugo Chavez. Many US representatives,first and foremost Condoleezza Rice, has called Chaveza "negative force" in the region. Since the attemptedcoup, the US government has been beating the war drumswhile making preparations for war against Venezuela. The underlying motivation of the US government isclear: the Chavez government has been shifting thebenefits from the country's oil wealth from the richgiant corporations to the vast majority of thepopulation by providing food, housing, health care andeducation. Moreover, Hugo Chavez has recently spokenout against US "free market" policies thatoverwhelmingly benefit the wealthy few. He hasnationalized some industries and has declaredVenezuela's right to institute democratic socialism tofurther this development. He also opposes the U.S. warin Iraq. The stakes are high. Therefore, we believe itis vitally necessary for all those in the US andaround the world to affirm Venezuela's right todetermine its own destiny by joining forces to forge aresistance to the US government's aggressive aims.

The Hands Off Venezuela Campaign has started meetingin San Francisco to try and raise awareness about theinspiring events in Venezuela and to organize againstthe threats against them from the US government. Areport on recent developments by Sonia Zerpa , aresident of Caracas, Venezuela will be presented atthe meeting.

Ottawa negotiating to keep secret base in UAEBy PAUL KORINGSaturday, May 21, 2005 Washington - Ottawa is secretly negotiating a long-term agreement with the United Arab Emirates to allow hundreds of Canadian soldiers to remain deployed in the Persian Gulf country for years in support of military operations in Afghanistan.The location of Camp Mirage - on a desert air base near Dubai, the UAE's second-largest city - is classified. Official references in government documents and websites refer to it only obliquely, or more frequently as "location undisclosed."But it is one of Ottawa's worst-kept secrets. Thousands of Canadian soldiers have passed through the base. Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson has visited it.Senior army officers have publicly referred to Dubai as its home, and its whereabouts has been inadvertently revealed on the Internet.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050521.wxsofa21/BNStory/National/

May 27, 2005Yesterday Iraq‚s Minister of Defense, Sadoun al-Dulaimi, announced that startingSaturday 40,000 Iraqi troops will seal Baghdad and begin to „hunt downinsurgents and their weapons.‰ Baghdad will be divided into two main sections,east and west, and within each section there will be smaller areas of control.

There will be at least 675 checkpoints and al-Dulaimi said this is the firstphase of a security crackdown that will eventually cover all of Iraq.

Keep in mind that most of Iraq has remained in a „state of emergency‰ since thebeginning of the siege of Fallujah, on November 8th.

„We will also impose a concrete blockade around Baghdad, like a bracelet aroundan arm, God willing, and God be with us in our crackdown on the terrorists‚infrastructure.‰

Also at the press conference was Bayan Jabor, the Minister of Interior whoadded, „These operations will aim at turning the government's role fromdefensive to offensive.‰

This is really, really bad news.

The Iraqi security forces already have an extremely bad name throughout much ofBaghdad. I‚ve had three Iraqi doctors tell me, in different hospitals atdifferent times, that they call the Iraqi National Guard the „dogs of theAmericans.‰

Another close friend of mine in Baghdad, also a doctor, wrote me recently tosay;

„Iraqi forces now have what they call „liwaa al deeb,‰ which means the WolfBrigade. This is a very American name, and is an ugly name which gives theimpression of violence. In the past the Iraqi troops held names of some famousMuslim and Arabic symbols which were more accepted. Anyway, the name wouldn‚tmatter if their behavior was straight∑.they now practice a kind of statesponsored terrorism.‰

He went on to give an example of their not-so-straight behavior∑

„Eyewitnesses in Al-Saydia area to the south of Baghdad told me that recentlywhen a car bomb detonated and destroyed the area nearby, people were astonishedto see the so-called police looting a destroyed mobile phone store that wasnearby! The police now are a bunch of thieves. Many of then are alreadycriminals who were released from Abu Ghraib prison before the war.‰

When I was in Baghdad in January, I was shot at by Iraqi Police on two differentoccasions simply because our car drove too close to them.

Hence, out of concern for his family, Abu Talat has returned to Baghdad. Hefears that his two youngest sons will be detained simply because they are of„military age,‰ according to the US military.

Even now in Haditha, where the US military is engaged in an operation called„Operation New Market,‰ (where do they get these names?) somewhat similar tothe recent attack on Al-Qa‚im, where around 1,000 troops are raiding homes.They have set up sniper positions, and according to an Iraqi doctor I spokewith today that has colleagues in Haditha, „The Americans are detaining so manypeople there, any man between the ages of 16 and 25 years is being immediatelydetained without question.‰

So Abu Talat is back into the fire∑needless to say, I support his decision to goback to look after his family, but not without deep concern and sadness.

„What else can I do, habibi,‰ he asks me while holding up his hands today.

So we say goodbye yet again, which in this situation is always a difficult thingto do. Will I see him again? Will his family be alright? What if∑?

Life in occupied Iraq. On any given day, anything can happen. It‚s a numbersgame.

He or any of my other friends there could end up like the three civilians whowere shot dead by US soldiers yesterday while they were traveling in a minibusin al-Dora, Baghdad.

Lieutenant Jamie Davis, a spokesman for the US military, said of the slaughter,„The details are sketchy and we don‚t know who was involved.‰

According to AFP, the bus driver who survived the incident said US troops openedfire after he pulled over to get out of their way.

Now with over 675 checkpoints to be manned by the „dogs of the Americans,‰ we‚llall have to get used to countless more civilian deaths where „the details aresketchy.‰

You can visit http://dahrjamailiraq.com/email_list/ to subscribe or unsubscribe to the email list.

The Lure of Opium Wealth Is a Potent Force in AfghanistanWestern officials warn of a nascent narco state as drug traffickers act with impunity, some allegedly with the support of top officialsBy Paul WatsonTimes Staff WriterMay 28, 2005www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-drugs29may29,0,3324290.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Despite massive budget shortfalls and poll after pollshowing that Californians want cuts to prison spendingand favor rehabilitation over more prisons, Californiawill open its 33rd state prison on June 1: the $750million boondoggle, Delano II. At the same time, weare closing schools, hospitals and libraries.

Come protest the opening of the Delano II prison andthe closing of public institutions that truly buildsafe communities.

For more information and to download posters to carryat the June 1st event, visit http://www.curbprisonspending.org

ISF is a nonprofit organization created through the settlement of Idriss Stelley's vs. City &County and SFPD case and its allocation to his mother mesha Monge-Irizarry. Her only child, 23 African American was killed by SFPD at the Sony Metreon Theater on June 13, 2001, 48 shots, 9 officers, as he stood alone in an empty theater.

ISF provides free, confidential services to Bay Area biological and extended families whose loved ones have been disabled or killed by law enforcement.

The primary focus of ISF, justified by casualty statistics is: To serve the Bay Area African American community and families of color, although no one will be turned down. Home visits can be scheduled if needed.

We are seeking volunteers and interns to staff our upcoming bilingual 24-HR crisis line, teach basic computer skills, provide confidential support counseling, staff special events and help with fundraising as well as outreach &quilt making. Idriss Stelley Foundation depends on the community in terms of donations Checks can be made out to: ISF, 4921 3rd St, SF, CA 94124 For an appointment, leave a message to (Nominated "Local Heroes of the Year" Sandra Juanita Cooper, Co-Founde and former Co-Director, and mesha Monge-Irizarry, Grass Root Organizer by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, "Best of 2004" edition, July 28/04) mesha Monge-Irizarry (415) 595-8251 / 24-HR Crisis Line iolmisha@cs.com

Facing Chaos, Iraqi Doctors Are Quitting By SABRINA TAVERNISE BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 29Published: May 30, 2005 "In the early years of Saddam Hussein, the health care system in Iraq was a showcase, with most Iraqis receiving excellent, inexpensive care. Iraqi doctors often studied in England, and Iraq's medical schools, based at hospitals, had high standards. But Mr. Hussein let the economic penalties of the 1990's bite deeply into medical care and used the damage to the increasingly worn system to try to persuade the world to ease economic pressure on Iraq."http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/30/international/middleeast/30doctor.html

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The Death Spiral of the Volunteer Army May 29, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/29/opinion/29sun1.html

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld likes to talk about transforming America's military. But the main transformation he may leave behind is a catastrophic falloff in recruitment for the country's vital ground fighting forces: the Army and the Marine Corps. The recruitment chain that has given the United States highly qualified, highly skilled and highly motivated ground forces for the three decades since the government abandoned the draft has started to break down.

This is astonishing, even allowing for the administration's failure to prepare Americans honestly for how long and difficult the occupation of Iraq would be. There are over 60 million American men and women between 18 and 35, the age group sought by Army recruiters. Getting the 80,000 or so new volunteers the Army needs to enlist each year ought not to be such a daunting challenge. There are obvious attractions to joining the world's most powerful, prestigious and best-equipped ground fighting forces, and in so doing qualifying for valuable benefits like college tuition aid.

But Army recruitment is now regularly falling short of the necessary targets. Recruiters are having even more trouble persuading people to sign up for Army National Guard and Reserve units. The Marine Corps has been missing its much smaller monthly quotas as well. Unless there is a sharp change later this year, both forces will soon start feeling the pinch as too few trainees are processed to meet both forces' operational needs.

Why this is happening is no mystery. Two years of hearing about too few troops on the ground, inadequate armor, extended tours of duty and accelerated rotations back into combat have taken their toll, discouraging potential enlistees and their parents. The citizen-soldiers of the Guard and Reserves have suddenly become full-time warriors. Nor has it helped that when abuse scandals have erupted, the Pentagon has seemed quicker to punish lower-ranking soldiers than top commanders and policy makers. This negative cycle now threatens to feed on itself. Fewer recruits will mean more stress on those now in uniform and more grim reports reaching hometowns across America.

The results can now be seen at every Army and Marine recruiting office. (The Air Force and Navy, which have not been subjected to the same stresses and dangers as the ground forces, are meeting their recruiting quotas.) Missed quotas have translated into intense pressure to lower standards and recruit people who should not be in uniform. Earlier this month the Army required all of its recruiters to go through a one-day review of basic recruiting ethics.

Things might have been different if Mr. Rumsfeld had heeded the judgment of Gen. Eric Shinseki, then the Army chief of staff, in the months before the United States invaded Iraq and planned for a substantially larger occupation force. A larger force might have kept the insurgency smaller and more manageable. It would have been better able to defend itself without resorting to the kind of indiscriminate firepower that kills civilians, destroys homes and inflames Iraqi opinion. Individual combat brigades would not have been under such constant operational stress. But Mr. Rumsfeld rejected General Shinseki's sound advice. The Pentagon now says it gives field commanders as many troops as they ask for. But those commanders are aware of Mr. Rumsfeld's doctrinaire commitment to holding down troop numbers and of the diminished career prospects that could result from challenging him.

The Pentagon now hopes that next month's high school graduations will help it catch up to its recruiting goals. Besides crossing its fingers, the military should open more combat roles to women, end its senseless discrimination against gays and reach out to immigrants with promises of citizenship after completion of service. There should be no thought of reinstating the draft, which would be militarily foolish and politically explosive. But expanding the potential recruiting pool can be only a partial answer. Young people and their parents are reacting rationally to a regrettable and unnecessary transformation in how the United States government treats its ground troops. That is what needs to be changed.

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

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TROOPS OUT NOW COALITION STRATEGY MEETING SATURDAY JUNE 11, FROM 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH 66 WEST 12TH ST NEW YORK, NY

GETTING U.S. TROOPS T H E H E L L OUT OF IRAQ NOW!

THE WORLD DEMANDS IT - WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

11 am - opening presentations 1 to 3 pm - workshops * It's a war against the workers and the poor * GI resistance * From Latin America, to Asia and Africa, to Palestine, the connections 3 to 6 pm - unity in the antiwar movement - a discussion

Come to the Strategy Meeting!

For more information, go to http://www.troopsoutnow.org

or call or contact Troops Out Now Coalition at 39 W. 14th St. #206, New York, NY 10011, phone 212-633-6646

Endorse the Troops Out Now Coalition Call for Unity in the Anti-War Movement at http://www.troopsoutnow.org/unityendorse.html

Read the call below, and get a list of endorsers at http://www.troopsoutnow.org/unitycall.html http://www.troopsoutnow.org/unityendorsers.html http://www.troopsoutnow.org/unitycall.html%20http://www.troopsoutnow.org/unityendorsers.html

UNITY CALL TO THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT FROM TROOPS OUT NOW COALITION

The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) wholeheartedly and unreservedly joins the activists and groups who are calling for a united mobilization against the war in the fall. The absence of such unity amongst the anti-war coalitions only serves to demoralize rank and file anti-war activists and local forces across the country. The grassroots of the movement are looking to those of us who make decisions to put our differences aside in the interests of the struggle to get the U.S. the hell out of Iraq.

Achieving unity isn't easy but the power of unity is the thing that will give everyone the confidence to do what needs to be done. Moreover, the people of Iraq and throughout the Middle East need the movement in this country to unite. The whole world is looking to us to do it. TONC welcomes the sentiments of all who have signed on to the unity statement that is being circulated by USLAW.

TONC would add to that call that the movement needs to reach out in a more serious way not only to trade unionists that are active in the anti-war movement, but also to working people and people of color. In the Million Worker March Movement you have trade unionists that are people of color at the helm.

These trade unionists are leading the way in helping to bring the workers movement and the anti-war movement together. Let us make sure that our appeal extends to them as well as others including immigrants who are all too often under-represented.

An important part of forging any meaningful unity will, of necessity, require that the anti-war movement both acknowledges and unites with the struggle of people of color and the events that carry their message.

The call for a "Millions More March" on the tenth anniversary of the "Million Man March" has gone out far and wide. The Millions More March will extend over 3 days next fall, October 14, 15 and 16, including a massive march on Washington DC. It goes without saying that many of us will be pre-occupied with this important mobilization. This is something that needs to be respected.

TONC believes that the time has come for all of us to unite around the demand to bring the troops home immediately. This in no way means that other demands should not be put forth.

We absolutely must talk about the war budget and how it's robbing workers and poor people.

We must talk about the prospect of the draft being revived. We must find ways of reaching out to resisters inside the military.

Moreover, we don't believe that uniting must mean censoring, silencing or excluding the positions of those who are participating in that unity.

The antiwar movement must not turn its back on the Palestinian people and their struggle. In addition, the position that the Iraqi people have a right to resis t occupation by whatever means they choose cannot be censored or excluded.

We don't think that it helps us to make no mention of the threats against Venezuela or Cuba or Iran or North Korea and simply pretend that these problems don't exist. We believe that the movement must address the ongoing occupation of Haiti and Afghanistan; the imperialist designs on Zimbabwe, the Philippines, Colombia and all the peoples of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Caribbean and Latin America. Others may have different priorities.

The anti-war movement must ensure that all oppressed communities have an equal place at the table, where their issues and concerns are represented.

Unity does not mean uniformity--the main thing is for the basis of unity to be clear.

It's not necessary for us to ask of each other that we forget neither our differences nor the unpleasantness of past conflicts. All that is required is that we not let any of that get in the way of joining hands to grasp the opportunities that only unity makes possible.

There is a high road. On that road, questions are answered, problems are solved and the means and methods necessary to move forward are found.

Nothing is more important at this moment than for all to walk together on the high road to unity. We believe that what we all do will be decisive. We must and we can stop the war and get every U.S. soldier out of Iraq.

It is up to all of us to do whatever is necessary for our movement to rise to this challenge.

TONC is holding a regional meeting on June 11. A special session of this meeting will be devoted to continuing the discussion on unity and we will be extending invitations to groups to participate in that discussion.

Subscribing and unsubscribing can also be done on the Web athttp://www.organizerweb.com/mailman/listinfo/action.news

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Thom Hartmann's 26 May 2005 exclusive interview with British MP George Galloway.http://www.thomhartmann.com/Galloway_Interview.html

The mayhem continues in Iraq, with today at least 40 people dead,including five US soldiers in Diyala province as the meltdown of thefailed US-led occupation continues.

Two suicide bombers detonated themselves after walking into a crowdof police officers in Hilla, south of Baghdad. The policemen weredemonstrating outside the mayor's office to protest a governmentdecision to disband their Special Forces unit.

In yet another horrible PR move (or attempt to raise sectariantensions?) by the US military the head of Iraq's largest Sunnipolitical party, Mohsen Abdul Hamid was detained from his home earlythis morning in western Baghdad. Of course his head was promptlybagged and his hands tied before he was taken away to beinterrogated. His three sons were also detained with him. Stun bombsand bullets were said to be used during the raid, according to hiswife.

It just so happens that his party, the Islamic Party, opposes thenew US-backed security operation now engulfing Baghdad because theybelieve the security forces will disregard the rights of innocentIraqis.

Later today he was released and the military admitted it made amistake.

The military statement concerning the matter said, "Coalition forcesregret any inconvenience and acknowledge (Abdul-Hamid's) cooperationin resolving this matter."

Abdul Hamid refused their apology in the Arab media, and stated thathe was humiliated when US soldiers held their boots on his head for20 minutes. It was also stated that he accused American soldiers ofremoving items from his home, including a computer. This is standardoperating procedure with home raids-I can't tell you how many IraqisI've interviewed after their homes were raided who complained ofmoney, jewelry and other belongings being looted by Americansoldiers. The Islamic Party released a statement after the releaseof Abdul Hamid which said, "The U.S. administration claims it isinterested in drawing Sunnis into the political process but it seemsthat their way of doing so is by raids, arrests and violating humanrights."

At least 740 Iraqis have been killed since the new "government" tookpower in late April, and with the ongoing operations sparking moreattacks each day, it doesn't look like there is an end in sight.Keep in mind, the vast majority of the Iraqi security forces areeither Shia or Kurdish battling against a primarily Sunni resistance(for now). It can easily be argued that we are witnessing aUS-backed Iraqi government who is deliberating using its power towage a civil war.

On that note, today Major General Ahmed al-Barazanchi, a Kurdish manwho was the director of internal affairs of Kirkuk province diedthis morning after being shot yesterday.

My sources in Baghdad also said there have been fierce clashes todayin the al-Amiriya district of Baghdad between resistance fightersand Iraqi and US soldiers. "Open gun battles in the streets," as onefriend told me, "And as soon as the Iraqi and US soldiers leave thearea, the resistance takes it back over."

Keep in mind that all of this is against the backdrop of well over50% unemployment, horrendous traffic jams, and an infrastructure inshambles that continues to degrade with next to no reconstructionoccurring in Baghdad.

"Electricity shut offs drive us crazy in this hot summer," one of myfriends wrote me recently, "Even we can't read at night because oflong hours of electricity cuts and because the outside generatorscan't withstand running these long hours and we have to turn thesegenerators off for some time to cool them!"

He continues, "Two years of occupation...for God sake where is therebuilding, where the hell are these billions donated to Iraq? Evennot 1% improvement in services and electricity! They say again andagain the terrorists are to blame and I would accept this, but whythey do not protect these facilities? Do the American camps havecuts of electricity? No, no, and nobody will allow this tohappen...but poor Iraqis, nobody would be sorry for them if theyburn with the hell of summer, small kids and old men they getdehydrated because no electricity, no cold water, etc. Have youheard about the tea that is mixed with iron particles? It is real inour life. People have to make sure their tea is not mixed with ironby use of magnets."

He concluded his email with, "Things are getting worse day by day.Iraq has become a country not for its people, every day thoughtsjump into the mind that sooner or later we have to leave thiscountry, searching for another. And there is a saying, "your home iswhere you sleep safe," but this is not true in Iraq anymore."

He sent me that email three days ago.

Yesterday the Iraqi government announced that it may decreasesubsidies for fuel and electricity, despite a severe shortage ofboth in the country, according to the electricity minister whowarned Iraqis to prepare for more blackouts this summer.

Ongoing fuel, electricity and drinking water shortages persist, andonly 37% of Iraqis have a working sewage system.

As so many of my Iraqi friends continue to say, "This is the freedomand democracy that America has brought us."

At least seven local activists have been subpoenaed in thelast week to appear before a federal grand jury convened inSF. In recent decades, the federal government hasincreasingly used the grand jury to intimidate and harassactivists pushing for social justice.

Do you know your rights? Learn what you can do to protectyourself and your community, and why you should know howto resist this unjust process.

Modern-Day Witch Hunts Must End!As government repression in general increases, so does theuse of the federal grand jury to intimidate, incarcerateand render impotentactivists across social movements. In recent years,pressure on the animal rights, environmental justice,anti-war and anarchist movements has increasedexponentially. At a recent hearing before the SenateCommittee on Environment and Public Works, John E. Lewis,Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Divisionof the FBI, testified that,„Investigating and preventing animal rights extremism andeco-terrorism is one of the FBI‚s highest domesticterrorism priorities.‰

Links for more information about grand juries:Just Cause Law Collective:www.lawcollective.org Go to the „grand juries‰ section.http://www.lawcollective.org/article.php?id=46